Shock absorber



H. CRCES SHO-CK ABSORBER July 28, 1925. 1,547,367

Filed NOV. 10 1922 Patented July 28, 1825.

PATENT caries,

CROSS, GE KVDODSTGGK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CROSfi MANTFEACTWEEEQ- (JQMPAKY, U WUGD$TOCK, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINiBIffi.

SHDCK ABSGBBEB.

Application filed November 10, 1922. Serial No. 599,980.

To all whom it away co'nccm:

Be it known that I, HARRY Cross, acit-izen of the United States, and resident of Wood stock. in the county of McHenry and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Shock Absorbers, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a 20 part of this specification,

This invention relates to improvements in shock absorbers of the type in which a belt on strap is wound. up upon compression of the vehicle spring and frictionally engages a, braking surface to retard the retract-lie movement of the spring.

The present invention has for its object the provision of a device of this character which shall be rigid in construction, cheap to manufacture, in which means will be provided for preventing the cooking of the spring, and in which new and improved means are provided for permitting the adjustment of the tension of the spring.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a detached View of a sill of the chassis and the spring of automobile,

vwith the shock absorber attached thereto;

' Figure 2 is aside View of the device with the cover plate removed; and

Figure 3 is a sect-ion on the line 33 of Figure 2.

teferring to the drawings, in which like 35 characters of reference denote like parts in the several figures, indicates a sill of the chassis of an automobile, to one end of which is pivotally secured one end of the spring 11. Secured to the spring 11 is the axle or axle housing 12. .Secured to the sill 10 substantially directly above the axle 12 is the shock absorber of the present invent-ion, indicated generally at 13. The strap 14 is secured at one end to the axle 12, and at its'othcr end is adapted to be passed over a friction surface and wound about a spring-operated drum within the device 13, in a manner which will be presently described.

Referring now to Figure 3, 15 indicates the back plate of the absorber having an outwardly directed rib 16 extending partly about the device, as indicated in FigureQ. Securedto the rib 16, adjacent to one end thereof, by means of the screws 17, is an inwardly directed arm 18. The pivot pin 19 has one end received within a depression 20 in the back plate 15, the other end being reduced and received in an opening 21 in the inwardly directed arm; 18. Mounted about the pin 19 is a hub 2-2 of a drum 23. The end member 24: of the drum is provided with a plurality of i111 ardlv extending lugs 25, A coil spring 26 is positioned about the hub 22 and has one'of its hooked ends engaged with one of the lugs and its other hooked end in engagement with the inwardly extending finger 27 at the end of the arm 18. The spring :26 operates to normally force the drum 23 in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 2,

Positioned about one end of the pin 19, between the shouldered portion of the pin and the arm 18, is a cup-shaped member 28, the inwardly directed flange 2901'? which extends within the end of the coil spring 26. The device 28-'29 is provided to prevent the spring 26 from cocking when placed under tension and thus greatly reduces the liability of the spring breaking. The strap or belt 141- is secured at one end by means of the rivets or screws 30 to the drum 23. It then passes about the drum in a clock' ise direction, as seen in Figure 2, and over the outer circumference of the flange 16 and then downwardly, as indicated in Figure 1, the free end thereof being secured to the axle or axle housing 12,

An oblong, basin-shaped housing plate 31 is provided for covering the device in order to exclude dust and dirt therefroini. The inwardly extending flange32 of the plate 31 is arranged to snugly engage the outer circumference of the base member 15. The plate 31 is adapted to be secured in position by means of a screw 33 which passes therethrough and into threaded engagement with the arm 18 and flange 16. The 'flange 32 of the housing'platc 31 is cut away, as indicated in Figure 1, to permit the passage thcrethrough of the belt or strap i l. The downwardly extending portion 34: of the web 16 snugly engages the inner surface of the flange 32 of the housing plate adjacent to the cut-away portion. The rib 16 adjacent to one end thereof is enlarged and provided with a transversely extending opening 35 through which may be passed a bolt 36 for securing thev device to the automobile frame or sill. The device may be held against rotation by providing on the bacl; thereof about the opening 35, a boss 23? provided with a slot 38 adapted to receive a rib on the sill member 10.

in installing the device, the shock absorber is clamped to the sill member 10 by means of the bolt. :36. as above described. The belt 14: is then drawn out oil the casing, thus rotating the drum 233 until the positioning rivet .19 appears at. the edge of the opening. it sl aild be here explained that the rivet 39 at the time, the device is made is placed at the proper point in the belt. The downwardly extending portion of the belt i l is then drawn taut and attached to the axle, 12.

It is desirable to vary the tension of the sprin 26 to accommodate vehicle springs of dit l'erent strengths such as are provided on cars of differentweights. The tension of the spring may be adjusted by removing the screws 17 which hold. the arm 18 in posi tion, moving the arm with the spring 26 outwardly and positioning the hook at one end of the spring :26 in engagement with whichever one of the lugs will give the desired tension. The arm 18 is then again secured in position. Regardless of the tension in the spring the belt l t: should always be adjusted when applied to the vehicle, with the marker or rivet 239 at the edge of the opening in the absorber, as previously described.

In operation, upon the movement of the axle 1:2 toward the sill member it), the belt 14 is slacltened and the slack is taken up by the rotation of the drum in a counter-clockwise direction, as view in. Figures 1 and 2 under the influence of the spring 26. Upon the action oi the spring 11. to move the axle 12 away from the i'ramc member 1 the belt 1.4 'frictionallv engages the upper sur face of the flange 16 and acts to retard this movement, thus causing the parts gently to return to their normal positions.

As the action oi shock absorbers oi this general character is well known. it is believed that further description of the operation is unnecessary.

Having thus described my invention, what I. claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent oi the. l nitcd States is:

1. in a shock absorber. a casing including a friction track. a. drum having a hub r0- tatably mounted in said casing. a plurality of inwardly extending lu; on said drum, an arm having one end secured to said casing, and the other to the pivotal support for said hub, an inwardly extending finger on the end oi said arm, a coiled spring surrounding said hub having its opposite ends secured respectively to said linger and a desired one of said lugs, and a belt secured at;

menses one. oi its ends to said drain, the opposite end oi said" belt extending over the friction track and external to said casing.

in a shock absorber, a casing including a iriciion track, a drum, a hub within said drum, :1 web joining said drain to said hub, a pluralit of lugs on said web, means within said casing for rotatably supporting said hub, an arm having one end secured to said casing and the other to said supporting means, the end of said arm being turned inwardly to form a linger, a, coiled spring surrounding said hub having its opposite ends secured respectively to said linger, and a desired one of said lugs, and a belt secured at one of its ends to said drum, the opposite end thereof extending over the friction track and external to said casing.

3. In a shock absorber, a casing including a friction track, a drum, a drum hub, a web joining said drum. to said hub, a plurality of lugs on said web, a shaft, extending through said hub and having one end supported in said. casing, an arm having one end secured to said casing, a reduced extension on the end of said shaft forming a shoulder, a cupshaped member on said reduced extension and abutting said shoulder, said reduced. ex tension passing through said arm and being riveted thereto. an inwardly bent finger on said arm, a coiled spring surrounding said hub and having one end extending over said cup-shaped member, one extremity of said spring being secured to said finger and the other extremity to a desired lug on said web, and a belt secured atone of its ends to said drum, the opposite end thereof extending over the friction track and external to said rasing.

i. in a shock absorber, a casing including friction track, a drum having av hub rotatably mounted in said casing, an arm haviug one end secured to said casing and the other to the pivotal support for said drum, a coiled spring surrounding said hub having its opposite ends secured respectively to said drum and said arm, a cylindrical member separate from said hub and extending within the end of said spring adjacent to said arm, and a belt secured at one of its ends to said drum, the, opposite end thereof extending over the friction track and external to said casing.

5. In a shock absorber, a casing including a friction track, a drum, a hub within said drum, a web joining said drum to said hub, a plurality of lugs on said web, means Within said casing for rotatably supporting said hub, an arm having one end secured to said casing and the other to said supporting means, a. coiled spring surrounding said hub having its opposite ends securedrespectively to one of said lugs and said arm, a shaft; extending through said hub, a shoulder on said shaft, a cup shaped member carried by said ass shaft against said shoulder and extending within the end of said spring adjacent to said arm, and a belt secured at one of its ends to said drum, the opposite end thereof extending over the friction track and external to said casing.

6. In a shock absorber of the class described, the combination of a casing, a friction track in said casing, a spring drum in said casing, a belt passing over said friction track and connected to said spring drum, a bolt hole in said casing. said casing being adapted to be mounted on the automobile frame through a single bolt passing through said bolt hole, said casing having a slot therein adjacent said bolt hole for receiving a cooperating rib on the automobile. frame to prevent said casin from turning.

7. In a shock absor r, a casing having an outlet opening, through said outlet opening, shock absorber means in said casin for retarding the outward pull of said be t, and a marker on said belt to indicate the extent of belt to be initially withdrawn from said casing in install- '25 ing the device.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 4 day-of November, 1922.

i HARRY CROSS. Witnesses:

GEO. W. Mooina, BYRON D. CHEASBRO.

a belt entering said casing 20 

